Furnace



Feb. 8,

C. F. KENWORTHY FURNACE Filed April 10, 1926 I II.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY w g-M 59 I Patented Feb. 8, 1927.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES KENWORTHY, OF WOODBURY,

CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES F.

OF CONNECTICUT.

FURNACE.

Application filed April 10, 1926. Serial No. 101,094.

This invention relates to a new and improved furnace of the annealing type.

It is the object of this invention, among other things, to provide a furnace of this type wherein the material may be annealed without oxidizing and coming into contact with a liquid, and in the embodimentof these features produce a furnace that will be simple and economical in its construction and highly efficient in its operation.

To these, and other ends, my invention consists in the furnace, having certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the claims. Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals of reference designate like parts in the several figures; 1

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of my new and improved furnace; and

Figure 2 is an elevation thereof, the parts in section bein taken generally upon the plane indicated1y the line 22 in Figure 1.

In annealing furnaces heretofore made it 2 has been the practice to pass the material annealed through a cooling bath of liquid after being taken out of the retort and this necessitated a structure that required the material to pass through the same liquid before entering the retort. This method is objectionable for annealing certain classes of metal, especially metal of small gauge, such as wire ofsmall diameter or thin sheet metal. Such metal, whether round or flat,

is usually first wound and then annealed. If -a liquid is used to cool the annealed metal it is impossible to remove all of such liquid from the metal after ithas left the cooling bath, especially that liquid upon the metal not immediately adjacent to the exposed outer surface. The dam ness resulting from such retained liquid is o jectionable because it tarnishes the metal and also has a tendency to cause the several convolutions of the being unwound, and become torn and broken.

To overcome these, and other difficulties, found in annealing metal of small gauges, I have designed this new and improved furnace wherein the metal is cooled without contact with a liquid.

In the embodiment of the invention, as shown and described herein,-10 indicates the wall surrounding the chamber 31 upon the top of which rests the platform p .1s a cover member-17, open wound metal to adhere to each other whenate 11,

having a pluralit throu h. .Upon this one o the openings, flange 13 of which and into the top of the chamber 31. At each of the other openings there is a sealing ring 14,,a flange 15 thereon. projecting into the top of said chamber. Each sealing ring is provided with a trough member 16, containing liquid, sand or the like. Substantially concentric with each sealin' ring 14 at its Tower end and the edges of which project into the liquid or sand in the trough 16. These members are preferably formed with corrugations or the like, so as to increase the area of radiating surface, and have an atmospheric valve 18.

Concentric with the base plate 12 is an annealing unit 19, the chamber 20 therein being heated by gas, fluid or electricity, as may seem most desirable, the furnace herein shown and described however, being the electrical type wherein there are a plurality of electrodes 21. This heating unit is also provided with an atmospheric valve 22 connected with the chamber 20.

Movable vertically within the tank 10 is an elevator 23, wh' is associated with a of openings thereplatform, adjacent to is a base plate 12, the

1ch piston 24, and having connected therewith a plurality of sealing troughs 25 corresponding in number with the cover members and annealing uni-ts. When in their up position the flanges 13 and 15 will project into the liquid, sand or the like contained therein, as shown in Figure 2, and form a seal for the chambers 26 in the cover members17 and the chamber 20 in the annealing unit 19.

WVorkholders 27 are fixed relatively to the sealing troughs 2-5 and move therewith. Each of these work holders in their up position project through an opening in the platform whereby the material 28, placed thereon, and outlined by broken lines in Figure 2,, is either projected into the chamber 20, or either of the cham bers 26. When in the chamber 20, the material is subjected to the heat therein and when-in any one of the threechambers 26, it is cooled. This cooling may be facilitated, if desired, by surrounding the outside of one or more of the cover members 17 by water or a cooling compound or mechanism, or air.

In operation, the elevator moves up and projects therethrough of any preferred form down in a vertical path and is automatically rotated by mechanism well-known in the art.

When near its down position, the elevators and the workholders are automatically rotated through an arc of 90, which brings each of the workholders and the work thereon into register with the next succeeding chamber,

While I have shown in the drawings one heating unit and three cooling units, a greater number of such units may be used the cover member is restored to its former position. The-elevator is now lowered, ro-

I tions are continued until the to place on the tated a quarter of a circle, moved upwardly again and the work projected into annealing unit '13. While the work is in prescribed time, another work charge is placed upon the next succeeding workholder, the elevator is lowered, again rotated through a quarter of a circle and moved upwardly as before. At this time the work that had been in the annealing unit B is projected into the chamber 26 in the cooling unit C and the work placed on the workholder at the cooling station A is projected into the annealing unit B. These operafirst workcharge placed on a workholder is returned to the cooling station A where it is removed and a new work charge placed thereon. These operations are continued, the work charge being heated and annealed in unit B and successivel presented and cooled in the coolin units 8, D and A. In the cooling units and I), if desired, the cover member 17 may be secured permanently in position.

In the type of furnace herein shown, operated by electricity, I prefer in some cases top of the workholder 27 an insulating pad so that the heat from the furnace is not transmitted to the workholder at the point where the work charge is "in contact therewith, resulting in a substantial saving of electricity.

The oxygen is removed from the chamber 31 and the annealing unit B by a small jet of steam or inert gas admitted through apipe '30 or the like, which will drive the oxygen out through the atmospheric valves 18 and 22. This oxygen exhaust operation, of course, taking place before a work charge is placed in the furnace.

What I claim is 1. A furnace having a tank; a heating unit; and a cooling unit, all of" which open into the chamber in the tank; and means within the tank for successively presenting work pieces into the heating unit and cooling unit; said tank beingfree of both liquid and oxygen.

this unit the 2. A. furnace having a tank; a heating unit; and a plurality of cooling units, all of which open into the chamber of the tank; means within the tank for successively presenting work pieces into the heating unit and cooling umts; and means for closing the opening from the chamber into said units as the work pieces are being placed therein. 3. A furnace having a tank; a heating unit; and a plurality of cooling units, all of which open into the chamber of the tank; means within the tank for successively presenting work pieces into the heating and cooling units; means for closing the opening from the chamber into said units as the work pieces are being placed therein, comprisin seal mechanism having a trough filled wit liquid, sand, or the like, and a member fixed adjacent to said unit which projects into the trough.

4. A furnace having a tank; a heating unit; a plurality of cooling units; and a closure member covering the chamber within the tank having a plurality of openings therethrough; a heating unit and cooling units, each of which units is connected with the closure member and surrounds one of the openings therethrough.

5. A furnace having a tank; a heating unit; a plurality of cooling units; and a closure member covering the chamber within the tank having a plurality of openings therethrough; a heating unit and cooling units, each of which units is connected with the closure member and surrounds one of the openingstherethrough, one or more of said cooling units being separably connected with the closure member.

6. A furnace having a tank; a heating unit; a plurality of cooling units; and a closure member covering the chamber within the tank having a plurality of openings therethrough; heating and cooling units, each of which units is connected with the closure member and surrounds one of the openings therethrough; said cooling units being movably connected with the closure member and the chambers therein being free from oxygen when so positioned.

7. A furnace having a tank; a heating unit; a. plurality of cooling units; and a clov the tank having a plurality of openings when so positioned; and a sealed connection therethrou h; heating and cooling units, between each of the cooling units and the each of which units is connected with the closure member. closure member and located substantially In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 5 equally distant from a common center; said aifixed my signature.

.cooling'units being moyably connected with the closure member and free from oxygen 7 CHARLES F. KENWORTHY. 

